PROJECT PORTFOLIO
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A selection of projects spanning electromechanical system integration, automated validation platforms, and robotics:
Public images of G7 CT scan and person wearing G7. Courtesy of Becky Stern and Diabetic wearhouse. These images are for example to show the complexities of CGM systems and do not represent this project
Electromechanical Subsystem Technical Lead (Next‑Gen Architecture) - DEXCOM
Led system‑level development of a critical electromechanical sensor‑connect subsystem for a new electronics architecture, spanning architecture definition, build readiness, validation planning, and cross‑functional execution.
What I did:
Owned electromechanical interface execution and integration readiness
Stabilized and transferred a sensitive manufacturing process to enable scalable builds.
Coordinated firmware integration under cybersecurity/data constraints for end‑to‑end demonstrations.
Tags: System Architecture • Electromechanical Integration • Build Readiness • Validation Strategy • Cross‑Functional Leadership
Risk‑Based Test Platforms & Automated Validation Systems (HW + SW + UI) - DEXCOM
Led system‑level test strategy by translating requirements and failure modes into targeted test methods and decision‑ready evidence for stakeholders for a high priority projects. Built system‑level automated test architectures and real‑time data acquisition/diagnostic pipelines supporting feasibility through V&V and clinical readiness, including automated benchtop test systems and tooling.
What I did
Developed system-level automated test architectures (LabVIEW/MATLAB/Python) and diagnostic pipelines.
Designed benchtop electromechanical systems enabling repeatable experimentation and validation.
Led mechanical test efforts and technician training in a structured workstream.
Tags: Verification & Validation • Risk‑Driven Testing • Test Method Development • Decision Making
Wear Duration Extension: 10 → 15 Days (Reliability Program) - DEXCOM
Led cross‑functional test execution across bench, preclinical, and clinical studies to support extension of wearable patch wear duration from 10 to 15 days through data‑driven reliability characterization.
What I did
Led test leadership for evaluating patch on bench as well as on humans
Designed and drove clinical studies for patch reliability and safety evaluation
Derisked the 15 day patch, in order to move towards product development phase
The selected patch became one of the top technologies responsible for 15 day wear period in the product
Tags: Reliability • Test Execution • Cross‑Functional Studies • Data‑Driven Decisions
Underactuated appendage driven robot for swimming and sensing in granular environments
Designed compliant/underactuated robotic mechanisms for granular and underwater environments; built constrained assemblies and iterated via quantitative experiments. Untethered robot was able to swim and sense obstacles in beach sand. It was the fastest untethered digging and sensing robot at the time.
What I did:
Designed underactuated appendages to generate propulsive thrust in granular media.
Added “terrafoils” to modulate lift and maintain subsurface depth during locomotion.
Demonstrated obstacle sensing via appendage force changes during swimming under sand.
First demonstration of burrowing robot on the beach in San Diego - fastest robot at the time
Tags: Robotics • Mechanism Design • Underactuated/Compliant Systems • Experimentation • Sensing Integration
Adaptive Granular Jamming feet for Robot Locomotion on sand
This work is about a soft robotic foot that passively changes shape on impact and actively changes stiffness using granular jamming to improve locomotion on sand. The work measures impact acceleration, penetration depth, shear traction, and pullout force across foot states, showing substantial reductions in impact deceleration, penetration depth, and pullout force relative to rigid feet.
What I did:
Designed a granular‑jamming foot with an airtight membrane and selectable granular fill; studied how material choice affects stiffness under load.
Built a fluidized granular bed test platform and ran drop, shear, and pullout experiments across multiple “foot state” conditions.
Quantified performance using accelerometry + high‑speed imaging + load cell measurements to link foot state to locomotion‑relevant metrics.
Tags: Soft Robotics • Granular Jamming • Foot–Ground Interaction • Deformable Terrain • Experimental Validation
Anisotropic friction enabled Soft Digging Robot
A pneumatically actuated, worm‑inspired soft robot uses reciprocal elongation/contraction and anisotropic friction features (setae‑inspired elements + “terrafoils”) to dig through granular material. The robot uses four air‑powered longitudinal muscles and demonstrates forward digging under granular media and controlled steering/turning on the surface
What I did (work elements described in the paper)
Designed a worm‑inspired robot architecture using longitudinal pneumatic muscles and directional friction features to generate net forward motion.
Studied terrafoil angle tradeoffs (lift vs drag) and setae angle effects (anisotropic friction) using controlled drag/lift experiments.
Demonstrated forward digging and turning behavior via chamber actuation sequences and measured resulting motion/deflection outcomes
Tags: Soft Robotics • Granular Jamming • Foot–Ground Interaction • Deformable Terrain • Experimental Validation
High Speed video of testing for sensing of fluid surface contact during flight
Embedded sensors to enable on‑board sensing for micro‑robotic applications
Presents a piezoelectric bending actuator with integrated strain‑sensing regions fabricated using Smart Composite Microstructure (SCM) processes. The sensing regions measure actuator deflection via the piezoelectric effect, showing a linear relationship between sensor output and displacement over a wide range of voltages/frequencies, and demonstrating detection of wing collisions and wing degradation in micro-robotic flight contexts.
What I did (work elements described in the paper)
Designed an actuator architecture with electrically isolated sensing strips mechanically coupled to actuation layers; validated decoupling via geometry (gap) and layer design.
Implemented SCM fabrication steps (laser micromachining + lamination) and created a repeatable test setup with displacement sensing and signal conditioning.
Demonstrated sensing utility through wing collision and wing degradation experiments in microrobotic actuation contexts.
Tags: Piezo Actuators • Embedded Sensing • SCM Fabrication • Micro‑Robotics • Signal Conditioning • Experimental Validation
Developing closed loop actuation for micro-robots using embedded sensors
Developing closed loop actuation for micro-robots using embedded sensors
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